Famous hoaxes

January 17, 2013 |By VANESSA HO/SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Manti Te'o isn't the only one who's ever been in the middle of a big hoax

John Moore/Getty Images

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Balloon Boy: In 2009, Richard and Mayumi Heene, of Colorado, frantically called police to say their six-year-old son, Falcon, had drifted off in a hot air balloon. Rescuers chased the balloon for 60 miles, found it empty on the ground, and continued to search on land, thinking the boy had fallen from the sky.

Falcon, pictured, was found hiding safely in the attic. The Heenes later pleaded guilty to charges related to the hoax.

John Moore/Getty Images

3of12

Balloon Boy: In 2009, Richard and Mayumi Heene, of Colorado, frantically called police to say their six-year-old son, Falcon, had drifted off in a hot air balloon. Rescuers chased the balloon for 60 miles, found it empty on the ground, and continued to search on land, thinking the boy had fallen from the sky.

Falcon, pictured, was found hiding safely in the attic. The Heenes later pleaded guilty to charges related to the hoax.